Emd Locomotives

"A comprehensive history of North America's two major locomotive manufacturers, comprising previous 2003 and 2006 volumes with updated information and photos to take the story through 2013"--Provided by publisher.

Learn the history, spotting features, characteristics, and operation of diesel locomotives, plus how to determine appropriate eras, and details and features.

Introduced in the 1930s, efficient and adaptable diesel locomotives had all but displaced steam locomotives by 1960. This colorful photographic history examines the development, implementation, and operation of diesel locomotives from the gleaming pioneer Zephyrs of the '30s through today's 8000-horsepower beasts. In the course of examining the dawn and preeminence of diesel power, the author offers a glimpse of America's major railways -- both freight and passenger -- in stunning modern and period color photography. Manufacturers like EMD, Alco and GE are included. The final chapter describes the operation and maintenance of modern diesel locomotives, and an appendix lists where rail fans can see restored examples of early diesels today.

Diesel, the most significant development in railway technology during the 20th century, was refined and perfected resulting in locomotives that were more powerful, faster, more reliable, and more versatile than the earliest machines on the market. General Motors' Electro-Motive Division rapidly moved to become the leader in diesel-electric technology. Its business practice and models essentially defined the design and operation of diesel locomotives in North America. Producing roughly 1500 hp, Electro-Motive's famous 16-cylinder 567 diesel electric engine is at the heart of all GP7vGP20s. This book is an authoritative and richly illustrated account of EMD's General Purpose models GP7vGP20. It details these early road switchers' place in history with over 200 photos, most in color. Author Brian Solomon, contributor to numerous railway periodicals and author of over two dozen books on railway subjects, including the best-selling Specialty Press title EMD F-Unit Locomotives, shares his knowledge of the history and specifications of EMD's early road switchers. A must-read for all train enthusiasts, this book details everything from the Geep's awesome powerplant to its construction, as well as its place in railway history.

A loving photographic tribute to one of America's favourite locomotive builders - the EMD locomotives.

This overview of the leading locomotive producers in the United States during the twentieth century shows how they responded to a radical technological change: the replacement of steam locomotives by diesels. The locomotive industry provides a valuable case study of business practices and dramatic shifts in innovation patterns, since two companies--General Motors and General Electric--that had no traditional ties to locomotive production demolished established steam locomotive manufacturers. Albert Churella uses many previously untapped sources to illustrate how producers responded to technological change, particularly between the 1920s and the 1960s. Companies discussed include the American Locomotive Company (ALCo), the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the Lima Locomotive Works, Fairbanks-Morse, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors, and General Electric. A comparative work of business history and the history of technology, the book is not a complete history of any locomotive builder, nor does it explore the origins of the diesel engine in great detail. What it does, and does superbly, is to demonstrate how managers addressed radical shifts in technology and production methods. Churella reveals that managerial culture and corporate organizational routines, more than technological competency per se, allowed some companies to succeed, yet constrained the actions of others. He details the shift from small-batch custom manufacturing techniques in the steam locomotive industry to mass-production methods in the diesel locomotive industry. He also explains that chance events and fortuitous technological linkages helped to shape competitive patterns in the locomotive industry.